Opinion: Abortion on Trial

Best of the Web Today columnist James Taranto on the murder trial of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell. Photo: Getty Images

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... back to Opinion Journal why Mary Kissel ... the murder trial of Philadelphia abortionist Credit Dazs now is a shocking story ... that has received much national attention ... but ... couldn't and shouldn't cause us to rethink ... Roe versus Wade ... best of the Web columnist James Taranto is here James ... what is Scott's now ... it accused of doing for us to have all the swelling ... a lot will just stick with the murder here he's tried for the counts of murder one that's the third degree murder for the death of a woman who I was given a drug overdose under his care ... and if on seven counts of first degree murder for the deaths of babies that were born alive in this clinic ... his method of late term abortion as they called it ... was to induce labor ... by then then I'd take the baby the baby was completely born ... and died they use this euphemism snap ... which means ... I'd take a pair of scissors and slash the baby to death why that was ... on its neck and spinal cord doubt this man has been carrying on these activities allegedly for man of very very long time why wasn't it caught earlier well for a variety of reasons I'm but when we should say I've that grand jury said were probably hundreds of babies killed in this matter ... these were the only ones they have enough evidence to prosecute ... artist in or out for a long time basically because the regulatory negligence this guy's been in business in one form or another ... for more than forty years ... on as an abortionist ... Autobot one of the things that happened was in nineteen ninety three there was a change in abortion policy in Pennsylvania ... the previous Governor Bob Casey was an anti abortion Democrat the new governor Tom Ridge was a pro abortion Republican ... of the Department of Health which had done some inspections this clinic found some problems in them fail to follow up on it ... didn't conduct another expect I didn't like another its ... inspection ... after nineteen eighty three until twenty ten when he was raided in connection with the narcotic side investigation ... and I did that that that the reason was the policy decision was made by the rigid ministrations ... were not written by going to inspect abortion clinics because that would put barriers in the way of women who want abortions that was carried on by the Democrat who succeeded Governor Ridge ... and Randell so this was driven by five abortion but pro abortion pilot ... James abortion advocates would say that this man ... is extreme he doesn't wrap presents ... on most of the clients across the nation what's your response ... well I made the best response to that is where his patients come from ... the bad reputation Philadelphia so Philadelphia clinics apparently world reluctant to send patients to know ... what will happen is when a woman would come and ... twenty four twenty seven thirty weeks pregnant ... when most abortion clinics and respectable doctors want to an abortion ... they didn't say sorry to do this is a legal they were for these women ... to fight his climate ... now ... I'm doing the right ... except for one clinic in Delaware where guests can also work one day a week in which has since been closed ... the Treasurer report doesn't cite the clinics that were for him by name ... but it sounds as though he has carved out a lucrative niche in the abortion industry ... and you certainly don't hear any new care ... abortion advocates planned Parenthood may Rob groups like that saying well it's terrible the way he treated his female patients is pregnant patients find we we can all agree on that ... what they don't say is that ... in his murdering of incidents was itself an atrocity it stands now the UVU wrote a column I recommend everybody in the last return website to read this ... on it with the lesson and laughed ... I can kick onto the whole art here but this this cases cause you to rethink ... Roe versus Wade ... the notion that crystallized views that I've long held on one of the Rovers is when was about a constitutional decision it was politically poisonous ... this makes a lot one important point ... I did this by robots ... and the best practical argument the supporters of Roe versus Wade have which is that the four overs dissuade women went to back alley abortion estate they got abortions anyway ... well here's a back alley abortions ... he was operating ... before Roe versus Wade was involves make all the mother's day massacre of nineteen seventy two in which a number of women were mutilated using Inaer ... experimental abortion procedure ... here is still in business forty years later Rovers weight is failed in its promise of doing away with a back alley abortion Roe versus Wade has failed Festival at Constans Trenton ... thank you so much for being on show ...